Ken Jennings, Make Way for Katie Couric

Per 'LAT' report, Couric set to be 2nd guest host for 'Jeopardy!'
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 7, 2021 9:05 AM CST
Report: Katie Couric Picked to Guest-Host Jeopardy!
Television journalist Katie Couric attends the Clio Awards at the Manhattan Center on Sept. 25, 2019, in New York.   (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

With one upcoming guest host of Jeopardy! embroiled in a bit of online controversy, a second has just been announced. Sources tell the Los Angeles Times that Katie Couric has been selected to fill a one-week slot in Alex Trebek's place in the wake of his November death at the age of 80 from cancer. Per the New York Post, Trebek's final appearance, which he filmed in October, will air on Friday, and Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings will serve as the first guest host starting Monday. It's not clear for how long Jennings, 46, will hold onto the reins, or when Couric will start her stint.

The show's producers announced after Trebek's death that they haven't yet chosen a permanent replacement for the longtime host, so the guest hosts (and there may be more to come) will hold down the fort until a final selection is made. As for the credentials of the 64-year-old Couric, she's best known as the popular co-anchor of NBC's Today show, which she helmed from 1991 to 2006. Meanwhile, Trebek's final episode on Friday will feature "a special tribute to the life and work of the man who captained America's Favorite Quiz Show with skill, style, and sophistication for 36+ years," reads a statement from Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show, per the Post. (More Katie Couric stories.)

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